Saratoga Snacks sacks Empire Classic for Parcells

Owned by NFL Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, Saratoga Snacks blitzed his

rivals in Saturday's $250,000

Empire Classic Handicap, the anchor of a seven-stakes extravaganza for New

York-breds at Belmont Park billed as "Empire Showcase Day." The 3-2 favorite was

improving upon his runner-up effort in last year's edition.

Trainer Gary Sciacca had been weighing whether to run in this 1 1/8-mile test

off a 2 1/2-month layoff, or try the six-furlong Hudson on the undercard. He

chose the right spot -- to the delight of Parcells, who campaigns Saratoga

Snacks in the name of August Dawn Farm.

"I just spoke to (Parcells) on the phone and he's thrilled," Sciacca said.

"He's in Florida, watching on TV. He said, 'Great job getting him ready.'"

Piloted by Joel Rosario, Saratoga Snacks stalked on the outside as

Warrioroftheroses established splits of :23 3/5, :46 3/5 and 1:10 3/5 on the

fast track. Saratoga Snacks tackled the weakening pacesetter on the far turn and

drove clear in the stretch, clocking the mile in 1:35 3/5.

Readtheprospectus, the 8-5 second choice who came in with a seven-race

winning streak, was unable to lift his game from off the pace and ultimately

wound up seventh of eight. Instead, 23-1 longshot Bigger Is Bettor emerged as

the only threat to Saratoga Snacks inside the final furlong.

Unlike a year ago, when then-sophomore Saratoga Snacks tried to make all the

running only to be caught by Lunar Victory, this time the year-older ridgling

stayed on resolutely and held Bigger Is Bettor by three-quarters of a length.

Saratoga Snacks finished in 1:48 3/5 and returned $5 to win.

"When they turned for home, I never screamed like I screamed today," Sciacca

said.

"I kind of worried a little bit before turning for home," Rosario said, "but

I knew that if somebody were to come at him, he would keep going, and it worked

out perfectly.

"He's a little bit of a funny horse. You have to really keep him motivated;

keep him busy. You have to keep him focused."

With this biggest career victory to his credit, Saratoga Snacks sports a mark

of 10-7-2-1, $464,600. After his second in the 2012 Empire Classic in his stakes

debut, the son of Tale of the Cat concluded his season with a score in the Alex

M. Robb at Aqueduct. He had only two starts under his belt in 2013, both in

sprints. Successful in the June 30 Shy Groom here in his belated reappearance

off a six-month layoff, he was a troubled third to ill-fated Saginaw in the

August 1 John Morrissey at Saratoga.

Sciacca described how he got Saratoga Snacks ready for the big day.

"Once I put the glue-on shoes on the horse it made all the difference in the

world," the trainer said. "He started doing good. Joel (Rosario) came out and

worked him the other morning in 1:12 4/5. He worked good and galloped out

strong. I said, 'Well, if he wasn't fit, that'll get him right there.'"

Turtle Bird Stable's Cluster of Stars opted for the $150,000

Iroquois rather than having to be supplemented for the Breeders' Cup Filly &

Mare Sprint, and the unbeaten filly duly wired an overmatched field by 3 1/4

lengths. By extending her record to a perfect seven-for-seven, the Steve

Asmussen trainee boosted her earnings to $549,600.

Hammered into 1-10 favoritism after lording it over high-class rivals in the

September 21 Gallant Bloom Handicap last out,  Cluster of Stars reeled off

fractions of :22 2/5, :45 2/5 and 1:09 1/5 with Javier Castellano. Willet, the

defending Iroquois champion, tried to mount a challenge, but she couldn't get

close enough to threaten. Cluster of Stars remained comfortably on top, stopped

the teletimer in a brisk 1:21 4/5 for her first try at seven furlongs, and

returned $2.30 to win.

"Very professional, as usual," assistant trainer Toby Sheets said. "She likes

to bring it. The seven furlongs didn't bother me -- the fact we would be the

target did bother me a little bit. (Here's Zealicious) had speed, but she

scratched, so that helped us a little. (Cluster of Stars) is just all that, and

then some."

"In the beginning there's always pressure when you're 1-5 in the race,"

Castellano said, "but she's very special. When you get on her, you don't worry

about anything. You just focus and do your own thing. Toby did a great job.

She's very competitive, very intelligent; I'm just the pilot. I like to enjoy

the ride. She's very professional and did everything the right way. She's a

special horse."

Cluster of Stars began her career over Aqueduct's inner dirt last winter,

dominating a maiden and entry-level allowance for state-breds. Since her narrow

decision in the February 2 Correction in her stakes, and open-company, debut,

she has been untouchable. The four-year-old daughter of Greeley's Galaxy crushed

an open allowance by 9 1/4 lengths on March 14 before convincingly defeating

Grade 2 rivals in the April 13 Distaff Handicap. Returning from a five-month

vacation in the Gallant Bloom, she ran off from the likes of Dance to Bristol

and Dance Card.

"We're going to enjoy this," Sheets said of the Iroquois. "One race at a

time. There are a couple of things we can do. We'll see how she comes out and go

from there."

Anstu Stables' homebred Wired Bryan was dispatched as the 1-5 favorite in the

$150,000

Bertram F. Bongard for juveniles, and the class of the field ran right up to

expectations to garner his third stakes victory. Breaking alertly beneath John

Velazquez, the Michael Dilger pupil dictated terms through splits of :22 4/5 and

:45 3/5 before opening up down the lane.

Wired Bryan reached the six-furlong mark in 1:09 4/5 and completed seven

furlongs in 1:22 4/5 while crossing the wire by three dominant lengths. Empire

Dreams was a clear second by the same margin from So Lonesome.

"It wasn't a surprise -- we have to expect that," Velazquez said of the heavy

favorite's performance. "This horse has been running against a lot better

horses. Today we broke from the outside, just kind of let him run out of there,

got to the lead, and tried to save some horse for the end."

"It's a horse race, so you never know what can happen," Dilger commented.

"He's been holding his form real well. He's been a consistent horse all year.

Johnny (Velazquez) has ridden the horse, he's won on him, he's ridden against

him and beaten him, he's been beaten by him -- he's seen him from every angle.

"I told him to do whatever he thought was best. The horse is always going to

break sharp, it was just a matter of whether someone else wanted the lead or

not. He's a naturally fast horse. I wasn't concerned about seven furlongs on a

fast track. His recent works have shown he's progressing and maturing. We'll see

how he is during the week and go from there.

"We'll winter in Florida, and who knows, maybe try to stretch him out (on the

Triple Crown trail)."

Wired Bryan, who paid $2.60 to win, has now bankrolled $537,474 from his

6-4-1-0 line. A 5 1/4-length winner of the historic Sanford at Saratoga on July

21, the gray son of Stormy Atlantic was just outdueled by Corfu in the August 11

Saratoga Special. After Wired Bryan faded to fifth in the muddy Hopeful on

September 2, he reverted to state-bred company for the September 28 New York

Breeders' Futurity and romped by seven lengths.

In the companion $150,000

Joseph A. Gimma for juvenile fillies, 5-1 chance Miss Narcissist led

throughout to upset the 3-5 Court Dancer.  Co-owned by Acqua Nova Stable,

Winter Park Partners and trainer Linda Rice, the stakes debutante was prompted

by Court Dancer through fractions of :23 and :46 1/5.

But Miss Narcissist pulled away from the odds-on favorite en route to a 5

1/4-length triumph in a final time of 1:23 4/5. The Freud filly rewarded her

backers with $12.20 to win.

"She's not an easy filly to ride," jockey Junior Alvarado said, "but Linda

Rice had her perfectly ready for this race. My filly broke good, and (Court

Dancer) broke good too, but I had to go to the lead. She relaxed after that. At

the top of the stretch, I knew how much horse I had. Once she switched to her

right lead, I knew we were in good shape. I don't think she will have any

problems going long."

Now sporting a mark of 3-2-0-0, $134,100, Miss Narcissist has been a work in

progress.

"She was very, very fractious in the paddock and behind the gates the first

time I ran her (when fifth at Saratoga August 8), but she had trained

brilliantly," Rice said. "The second time she won, but she still ran very

greenly (when breaking her maiden back at the Spa August 28). We took the next

two months to get her to settle in and teach her to switch her leads.

"Junior (Alvarado) breezed her for me last week, and I explained what she

needs to get her to switch leads. She's learning, and I was very pleased with

her today. She's been a project, and the gap from her maiden race to this race

was two months, but it gave us enough to really work with her. She has raw

talent, but she's hard to direct."

Later, Rice sent out Antonino Miuccio's Palace to a rallying victory in the

$150,000

Hudson Handicap. The City Zip colt had been overlooked at 12-1 last time in

his successful stakes debut in the August 23 Chowder's First at the Spa, but

bettors did not make the same mistake again and sent him off as the 2-1 favorite

here.

Under regular rider Cornelio Velasquez, Palace raced within striking distance

in fourth through fractions of :22 2/5 and :45 3/5. He commenced his bid in the

lane and accosted Moonlight Song, who floated out and carried Palace along with

him. But Palace would not be denied by any amount of herding, and he quickened

readily in the final strides to win going away by 1 1/4 lengths. After zipping

six furlongs in 1:08 4/5, he paid $6.

"Jose (Ortiz aboard Moonlight Song) had a lot of horse in the stretch,"

Velasquez noted, "but my horse ran hard the last part of the race. I had the

best horse in the race. He's a very good horse and I had a lot of confidence."

Palace, who was claimed by Rice for $20,000 at Belmont last October, has

compiled a resume of 13-7-2-2, $352,050.

"I was very happy when he won off by 11 (lengths) the day I (claimed) him,"

Rice said. "I didn't think a year later we'd be here on Showcase Day, so it's a

delight.

"He trained so well last fall. He really flourished over the winter. I

trained his father, and (City Zip) was a special horse. I thought I could see

the same things in (Palace). He bled through Lasix on me. I turned him out for a

couple of months, and when I brought him back he was just taking a little longer

to get back into shape than I thought (he would). He was a little heavier than

anticipated, but I just knew there was something special under the hood, and he

shows it each time."

Gerald and Susan Kresa's King Kreesa likewise justified 2-1 favoritism in the

$200,000

Mohawk on turf, but not in the front-running fashion that is his custom.

Rather, when the 64-1 longshot Abilio was intent on hustling to the lead, King

Kreesa stalked in second for Irad Ortiz Jr. Smoothly asserting himself turning

for home, the King Cugat gelding kept on strongly to hold safe the rally of

Lubash by 1 1/4 lengths. The final time was a snappy 1:39 1/5 for 1 1/16 miles

on the firm Widener course.

"He relaxed pretty good today," Ortiz said. "He ran like he was in front. I

talked with the trainer (Jeremiah Englehart) today and we saw there was speed in

the race. We had in mind that if we had to, we would sit second or third. We had

Plan B, and that worked for us."

"Once he got the lead coming around (the turn), I figured he'd hold it,"

Gerald Kresa said. "He's tough."

King Kreesa gave back $6.20 while improving his scorecard to 17-6-4-2,

$657,370. The winner of last year's London Company and the Spectacular Bid

division of the New York Stallion Stakes, the dark bay also just missed in the

Cab Calloway division and in the Jamaica. He opened his 2013 campaign with a

pair of thirds in the March 30 Appleton and May 4 Fort Marcy, then struck top

form with wins in both the June 1 Kingston and the July 4 Poker. King Kreesa's

finest hour was in defeat in the August 10 Fourstardave, where he gallantly had

to settle for second to Horse of the Year Wise Dan. He found the 1 1/2 miles of

the September 28 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational beyond him when a remote

seventh, but rebounded on the cutback in trip versus state-breds here.

Patsy C. Symons' Effie Trinket showed plenty of grit and determination to

beat older turf distaffers in the $200,000

Ticonderoga, and gave her sire Freud his second stakes win on the card after

Miss Narcissist. Rated just behind the pacesetter through splits of :24 3/5, :49

1/5 and 1:13 1/5, the Rick Violette sophomore needed to find room, and she

didn't flinch when Luis Saez sent her through a seam between foes. Effie Trinket

then withstood a sustained bid from Sally's Dream, battling back bravely to

prevail by a nose. Effie Trinket covered 1 1/16 miles on the firm inner turf in

1:42 2/5 and furnished a $9.40 win mutuel as the 7-2 second choice.

"She's a very, very nice filly," Saez said. "I was very nervous (in the

stretch). I knew I had horse but I didn't have room. I had to wait and wait, and

when I saw Rajiv (Maragh) on my outside (aboard Sally's Dream) I thought he was

going to beat me, but when I changed my whip to the left hand she responded; she

loved it. I knew she won (the photo)."

"How game is she? She can do anything," Violette enthused. "She has won on

the lead, she has won stalking, she's made one big run to get it. Here she kind

of stalked and had to wait; everyone was packing her in. She's a small horse, so

she needed just a small hole to get through. (Maragh aboard Sally's Dream) did a

good job; he had us kind of hemmed in. She just battled back and put a nose in

front. It was very, very cool."

Effie Trinket's effort advanced her record to 10-6-1-1, $432,150, reflecting

four stakes scores. The dark bay captured the Aristie on the Saratoga dirt last

year, along with the July 7 Diamondrella over Belmont's Widener turf and the

September 15 John Hettinger on this inner turf in her latest. She has won four

of her last five, her only recent loss being a second to Summer of Fun in the

August 10 Auntie Mame at the Spa.

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